Bring it on: Stress during training could make better pilots
The secret to better piloting skills may lie in sticking your foot into a bucket of cold water. A recent study by U.S. Air Force Maj. Chris McClernon found that pilots subjected to a controlled stressor during training performed better than those without.
McClernon's study took two groups of student pilots who had never before touched the controls of an airplane through simulator training, and then in an airplane. One group was subjected to a controlled stressor, in this case placing the student's foot in cold water, while the rest of the group was given the same training without the stressor. Then each student was individually put through the same maneuvers in a Piper Archer and his or her progress was recorded. After analyzing aircraft telemetry data and CFI anecdotal evidence, those subjected to the stressor made significantly fewer errors than those in the control group.
As far as McClernon is concerned, those subjected to stress "blew the control group out of the water." Not only did the data prove stress during training increases piloting ability, but the group subjected to the cold water said they felt more relaxed, a fact McClernon's human factors data bore out.
Next for McClernon is figuring out how to practically implement the findings. "How and when do you introduce the stress?" he said. "It's hard to apply the results of the study without answering that question." Although putting a student's foot in water isn't practical for everyday use, McClernon said the larger point is that a well-placed stressor of any type should have the same effect. "We can introduce not only tasks, but also stress to teach a coping mechanism," he said.
Just remember it if your instructor is yelling at you in the pattern.
- Ian J. Twombly
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